Fish oil and hormonal balance for women

[Mike ODonnell]

Originally Posted by Margie Lempert

Basically, I have hypothalamic amenorrhea.
I've gone through all sort of tests, tried hormone replacement and all that business, to no avail. I supposedly see one of the best endocrinologists around, but she still hasn't figured out what's going on - though she thinks it's exercise induced.

So basically (and I am no Dr) from what I can find out about....

Patients suffering for hypothalamic amenorrhea showed an increased activation of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, as shown by the higher basal levels and by augmented adrenal hormone response to corticotropin-releasing factor administration. These data suggest a possible derangement of adrenal androgen enzymatic pathway.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science...3ab072e6361620

and also from this http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache...ient=firefox-a

The problem is that your body cannot sustain high cortisol levels forever. At one point, the adrenal glands get “burned out” from having
to secrete high levels of cortisol over and over again. As you go through the phases of adrenal gland burnout – high levels down to very low levels – there are warning symptoms you can notice and address before it is too late. As stated previously you feel really good in the early stages when cortisol levels are higher. As you enter the adrenal gland burnout stage and cortisol levels drop, you can get allergies, headaches, intestinal bloating, achy muscles and joints, sleep disturbances and high cholesterol levels. If you don’t recognize these signs or why they occur, you can end up with even lower levels of cortisol causing asthma, migraines, irritable bowel, arthritis, hypoglycemia and an inability to sleep. Further progression of
adrenal gland burnout leads to autoimmune disorders, weight issues, extreme fatigue, depression and worse yet you can end up with
a degenerative disease of aging.
>>
Besides inflammation some other causes of high cortisol include:
1 Skipping meals, low calorie intake, and/or
high protein intake
2 Not enough sleep
3 Emotional stress, being too busy, pain
and/or trauma
4 Too much caffeine and/or alcohol
5 Overexercising and/or cardiovascular
exercises
6 Low estrogen conditions such as menopause
and malnutrition
7 High progestogen states from birth control
pills (BCP), pregnancy or taking progester-
one without estrogen or using too much
progesterone.

With your mentioning of undereating for a while...the damage might have already been done. Good news...the body can repair itself if you give it time to do so...bad news, I have no idea the extent of damage or how long that would take.

My advice....reduce exercise volume, maybe start doing stress reducing types of exercises (dare I say yoga?). Body needs time off....hormones are messed up. Not a medical diagnosis but a general observation...hope it helps. Also, wouldn't hurt to address and reduce stressors from all angles for the body including: inflammation (control insulin/reduce omega 6 intake/take omega 3), allergens (rotate food choices, reduce gluten/dairy), excessive oxidation/free radicals (reduce PUFA intake, increase antioxidant intake), environmental toxin exposure...etc. The body works as a whole unit and it's health is the sum of all parts/stressors....or at least that's the way I like to see it. Things like adding turmeric, ginger, onions, garlic and other herbs/spices can help also.

[Margie Lempert]

Mike - thanks for taking the time to do a little research. It all makes a lot of sense when I think about what preceded this whole predicament. And I have to say that I feel confirmed by the nutritional adjustments I've made over the years, and even more so in recent months; I have pretty much taken care of all the nutritional suggestions you made. I think it may be starting to take effect (ie I have seen some shifts in my body that suggest my metabolism is less sluggish).

And, hey, I love yoga! I'm not ashamed! Used to practice it pretty frequently, but haven't since the winter cause I got distracted by crossfit.

[Mike ODonnell]

Originally Posted by Margie Lempert

Mike - thanks for taking the time to do a little research. It all makes a lot of sense when I think about what preceded this whole predicament. And I have to say that I feel confirmed by the nutritional adjustments I've made over the years, and even more so in recent months; I have pretty much taken care of all the nutritional suggestions you made. I think it may be starting to take effect (ie I have seen some shifts in my body that suggest my metabolism is less sluggish).

And, hey, I love yoga! I'm not ashamed! Used to practice it pretty frequently, but haven't since the winter cause I got distracted by crossfit.

Nah, nothing wrong with yoga....especially when you are the only guy in the class.

Glad to see things are turning positive...as that is really all it can do, slow and steady improvements. I think once you look and understand the whole picture on how your body reacts to stressors and stimulus, and then how to control those for minimum stress response and maximum healing....you will see a greater quality of life for sure. I never think it is just one thing.....as most of the times it could be the sum of a bunch of little things/stressors (along with a larger event that usually pushes your body over the edge of having enough to deal with....and therefore some negative health usually comes along). Everyone is at a different state of health....so do what you need to improve yours and don't worry about what others are doing (like exercising intensely 5x a week)...as they may be going down the same road soon enough. Only you will know what makes your body feel better....and what does not.

[Garrett Smith]

Until this is fully dealt with, I'd suggest no more than 2 metcons a week, none over 10 minutes (preferably around 5 minutes).

Better to do a small amount of really high quality work than a whole bunch of semi-sloppy work (that really drains the adrenals and CNS).

[sarena kopciel]

Originally Posted by Garrett Smith

Until this is fully dealt with, I'd suggest no more than 2 metcons a week, none over 10 minutes (preferably around 5 minutes).

Better to do a small amount of really high quality work than a whole bunch of semi-sloppy work (that really drains the adrenals and CNS).

Somehow this sounds familiar to me too Dr G!

[liz neufeldt]

Yes, I'd agree that it might be wise to tone back the volume and/or intensity of your training. That most definitely often leads to hormonal imbalances in women. You might also consider adding in some GLA, as someone else mentioned as well. GLA can be beneficial because it does have phytoestrogens, and has been known to be taken by women for hormonal issues. The best source of GLA really is borage oil. Evening primrose oil does also contain some GLA, but not in as high of a concentration as borage oil. It's also excellent for you in general with many health benefits. So that's something else to look into as well.